We’ve all had those months where we are busily planning and preparing meals and going about doing our grocery thing, when suddenly we realize we’re almost out of grocery money for the month, and there is still a week or two of the month left! Don’t you just love that feeling? ;)

With a little creativity, you don’t have to resort to the dehydrated dinners you have in your food storage! Here is a list of meals you can make that are tasty and budget friendly!

*Spaghetti. This is my go-to when I need a cheap meal. I have plenty of sauce and noodles stocked up, so all I need to do is open a can of sauce and heat up some noodles and we’re good to go!

*Hawaiian Haystacks. I usually have chicken in my freezer so I can easily add a chicken breast or two to my gravy, but sometimes I just go without if we’re trying to eat less meat! For toppings, you can literally use whatever you have on hand- pineapples, olives, peppers, etc. This is a great way to use up things that are going to go bad- saving you even more money ;).

*Stir-fry. Another great way to use any random veggies you might have left in the fridge. You can stick with the oriental theme and do a fried rice version as well- again, use what you already have on hand and be creative!

*Omelets or breakfast burritos. This one may not be as cheap if you don’t already have eggs, but if you’ve got some eggs that are just waiting to be used, make omelets with whatever veggies you have in your fridge, or create breakfast burritos if you have some tortillas laying around. You can throw in a can of black beans for some extra protein, and some salsa or diced chilies for a fun way to spice it up ;).

*Crockpot meat. Meat is not necessarily cheap, but chances are you have some in your freezer that needs to be used up anyway! If you have a roast, throw it in the crockpot with some veggies. If you’ve got pork, throw it in with some BBQ sauce and serve it as sandwiches or over rice! If you’ve got chicken, throw in a couple cans of cream of chicken soup and serve over rice or get a little more creative and cook it with Cesar dressing to make chicken cesar salad sandwiches! The sky’s the limit if you’ve got a little frozen meat and a little creativity ;).

*Canned soup. A little boring, but pair it with a grilled cheese sandwich and it becomes a filling comfort food meal ;).

*Bean burritos or tostadas. Sticking with the canned theme, one can of refried beans can go a long way! Add a little cheese and make bean burritos, or spread them on tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for a homemade tostada. They are great topped with lettuce and sour cream!

*Baked Potatoes. Super basic, but you can turn one baked potato into a variety of meals depending on what ingredients you have! Chili and Cheese, bacon and sour cream, broccoli and cheese sauce- whatever you’ve got, use it!

*Pancakes. You can do homemade, or if you have a mix lying around, just add some fruit and you’ve got a tasty meal that’s budget friendly :). (These would be great with those omelets you’ll be making ;) ).

*Casseroles. When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with a casserole. You don’t even need a recipe! Just throw some things together and bake it in the oven til you think everything’s cooked :). Rice, noodles, meat, tater tots, potatoes, cream of chicken soup, fresh vegetables, canned veggies- you can always make a casserole with whatever you have on hand for the ultimate cheap meal!

What are your go-to meals when money is tight and the appetites are plentiful? Share with us in the comments below!